


Libraries and Egg Rolls

by bluetoast



Series: Last Prince of Jotunheim [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Loki Needs a Hug, Protective Pepper Potts, Thor Angst, Tony Being Tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-20
Updated: 2014-07-20
Packaged: 2018-02-09 16:57:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1990557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluetoast/pseuds/bluetoast
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thor has been on Midgard for three weeks and still doesn't know what he needs to do to prove he is worthy to return to Asgard. It doesn't help matters that the other Avengers seem to prefer the frost giant to him. Ru just wants Thor to let him read in peace.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Libraries and Egg Rolls

It was with a great deal of pride that Ru sat down in the library in Stark Tower with his first chapter book. Pepper and Steve both said he was ready for it. Sadly, neither of them could stay and read with him, as some words were still hard and he stumbled over them. However, since he had worked his way through all the picture books in Tony's library, along with the complete works of Doctor Seuss (his favorite being _Horton Hears a Who!_ ), Pepper had said he was more than capable of reading something with more words. So when he settled into one of the comfy chairs to start _The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe_ , he was looking forward to a pleasant afternoon.

Unfortunately, he wasn't even past the first page when Thor strode into the room and started looking among the shelves, frowning. 

Deciding that it was best to ignore the Asgardian, turning his attention to his book. Thankfully, Jarvis was able to help him with some of the more difficult words. This did mean reading aloud, but fortunately, it didn't require him to raise his voice much. “Jarvis, what is a blue-bottle?” 

“It is a type of fly, Mister Ru.” The clipped voice replied. 

“Thank you.” He answered and looked up when a shadow fell over him. “Good morning, Mister Thor, I did not hear you come into the room.”

“Reading about insects?” The blond man smirked. “Little bugs that need to be squashed like you?”

Ru blinked at him. “No, this is an adventure in which some Midgardian children discover a magical world.”

“What nonsense.” He laughed. “Where do they find it?”

“Inside a wardrobe.” Ru stated, plainly. 

“What is this place called?” The blond was smirking.

“Narnia.” He shifted in his seat and turned back to his book. “Ru... I'm reading, please leave me alone.”

“Stupid frost giant, cannot even speak correctly.” Thor pulled the book deftly out of his hands. “You shouldn't read such nonsense, you shouldn't even read.” 

Ru sprang to his feet and reached for the book, but the taller man held it over his head. “Please, Thor, give me my book.”

“No. It is not your book.” He glanced up at it. “It belongs to Lady Pepper. You must have stolen it.”

“I did not steal it! Miss Pepper said I could borrow it!” He grabbed for the arm holding it, but found it held twisted behind his back by Thor and then he was shoved away, falling against a table. A sharp jolt of pain went up his side, and he staggered back to his feet while Thor laughed. “Please give it back.” 

“No.” He set the book down on top of one of the shelves. Not exactly out of Ru's reach, but he couldn't retrieve it without Thor leaving. “You need to stop reading, frost giants don't need to read.”

Ru felt his face flush with anger. “Ru has wanted to read for the past four hundred years! Ru... I... I have a right to read!”

“You have no right at all.” Thor snapped. “You and your kind...”

Ru had had enough. He lunged forward and shoved Thor with all his strength. A moment later, he found that he'd pinned the prince, whom he was certain was more shocked than actually harmed. That was why he wasn't shoving him off. “You keep calling Ru a monster. Ru wonders what sorts of monsters the other jotun tell their children about.” He remembered the Allfather using the word jotun. It's what he was. “Ru thinks parents tell little jotun about evil Asgardians who strangle babies in their cribs simply because they don't look like everyone else.”

“Get off me!” Thor was able to shove him off, snarling. “You know nothing of Asgard! We are good people! We....”

“Are arrogant and mean?” Ru shot back, catching his breath. “Good people don't take things that don't belong to them. Good people do not call people who are different monsters.” 

The blond man scrambled to his feet, still looking rather shaken. “You...”

“You do not know Ru... me.” He flinched, wishing he could rid himself of the third person habit – even with practice it seemed like it was taking forever. “You think I should be dead or locked in a cage.” He rose slowly upwards. “But I am not dead and Ru will not return to a cage.”

“Infuriating beast.” Thor shook his head. “Now I have forgotten why I came in here in the first place.” He turned and headed for the door, muttering.

“I'm sorry.” Ru quipped. “Have a nice afternoon, Mister Thor.”

“Revolting.” The man spat and then slammed out of the library. 

Ru sighed, set the chair to rights and, standing on the tips of his toes, retrieved the book from where Thor had placed it. He returned to the chair and settled down to read, resolving to put his spat with Thor out of his mind.

*

Three weeks. That was how long Thor had been stuck on Midgard, how long he'd more or less been trapped in the Man of Iron's tower and he had had more than enough of the place. He still didn't know what exactly his father wanted him to do to prove himself worthy of Mjolnir, to regain his powers and his title. Whatever it was, he certainly wasn't going to learn it here. Particularly as long as Tony Stark insisted that the frost giant was going nowhere. Ru wasn't even a giant, he was a freakishly small jotun. No wonder Laufey had gotten rid of him. He must have...

Thor rested against the side of the pool, one of the few things he did find enjoyable. Stark had a whole floor that seemed to exist just for exercise, and swimming was remarkably better in body of water with regulated temperature, no rapids or undercurrents; or animals. He took a few deep breaths, his thoughts going back to the late king of Jotunheim that he had never met.

Laufey must have tossed Ru onto Midgard near the end of the war; Jotunheim had not been able to travel between realms for centuries. That would mean that Ru had been a mere babe when it happened. Why hadn't the Midgardians killed him when they found him? A blue infant certainly would have been seen as an ill omen, or monster. They should have killed him...

...and they didn't.

Ru had lived. 

Ru had spent his entire life as a prisoner of various inhabitants of Midgard. He'd been a slave, he'd been paraded around like the freak he was...

...or the freak they made him.

Shaking his head clear of such nonsense, he turned and went back to swimming laps. As much as he missed his friends, this was a much better activity done alone; the only person he wished was here was Sif. She would enjoy swimming like this as much as he did. She could also make friends with that Lady Natasha; they had similar personalities. He wondered if his friends missed him as much as he missed them. He turned onto his back and pushed himself off with his foot, floating down the lane slowly, staring up at the false lights above him. He hadn't really thought about trying to make friends with anyone here; human lives were short and it would be pointless. 

Off to his left, he heard the sound and he glanced over to see Banner setting his glasses on a table along with a towel. Thor looked away and a moment later, he heard a splash of water as the man dove into the pool. The ripples caused by the man's movements reached Thor and propelled him a little further down the water. This was nice. He just hoped that the jotun wouldn't show up and wreck this peace. He closed his eyes, and let himself float onward, until he felt the side of the pool, and then he turned and headed back up the other way, stopping halfway there and going back to swimming, racing through the water with a strong breaststroke.

He wasn't going to let that jotun pin him again. 

Ever.

*

Pepper had long ago learned to just let some of the things Tony Stark did just roll off her back and not think about it too much. Comparatively speaking, stealing Ru was almost a prank in the grand scheme of things. Of course, she didn't like to think about it being illegal for Tony to have donned the Iron Man armor, hacked a security system and taken a creature who was being held by humans and brought him back to the tower. It wasn't exactly stealing; it wasn't exactly liberation.

Messed up was the best way to describe it. 

Which was a surprisingly accurate description when it came to most things Tony Stark did. However, asking everyone who was currently living in the tower and was present to come to dinner was borderline insane.

She watched absently as Ru set the table, placing chopsticks at everyone's plate except Thor's. The Asgardian was the only one who hadn't yet mastered those eating implements. It had floored her the first time she'd seen Ru use them; he was more adept than anyone with them. It made sense; he probably remembered a time before there were forks. Although she had the feeling that he hadn't been given cutlery too often in his life. “How far did you get in your book this afternoon?” She asked as she emptied a container of rice into a bowl.

“Chapter eight. R..I felt I should stop before I was too wrapped up in the story to eat.” He took the bowl of rice over to the table. “Miss Pepper, why doesn't Thor like any of us?” He frowned. “Well, me in particular, but...”

“Thor's lived in a little world, Ru.” Pepper answered as Bruce came into the room. “He doesn't understand that being different is okay.” 

Bruce opened one of the containers. “Most people don't understand that, Pepper.” He frowned. “This curry chicken must be yours, Ru.” He came over and handed it to him.

“Thank you.” He set the container down at his place. 

“Do I smell dinner?” Tony came into the room, went over to the where the bags of food were and grabbed the one containing shredded pork in miso sauce. “Cap's going to be sorry he had to go into work.” He picked up one of the covered bowls of egg drop soup. “Where's Point Break?”

“Last time I saw him, he was in the pool.” Bruce replied, taking two of the containers of miso soup over to the table and setting one at his place and another at Ru's. “I told him it was almost dinner time.”

“I didn't even know what to get him.” Pepper added, setting down a box of beef and broccoli at Thor's setting, along with another of pork lo mein. “I just asked for two of the most filling dishes they had.”

Ru put the egg rolls and crab rangoon onto plates and set them on the table, flanking the bowl of rice as Bruce set down his box of shrimp and vegetable stir fry down. “I think he will eat anything.” 

Tony took a look at the place settings and balked. “How come I'm the one who has to sit next to him?” 

Pepper sighed and set the last of the soup containers around. “Because having him sit next to Ru or Bruce is a bad idea.”

Bruce ducked his head and sat down just as Thor came into the room, looking rather surprised.

“I did not realize it was so late.” He pulled his chair back, glancing around the table as Tony set the drinks in front of everyone before taking his own seat. “Apologies for delaying the meal.”

Pepper had a feeling the Asgardian wouldn't be saying that if she wasn't sitting at the table. Instead of saying anything, she took a serving of rice before passing the bowl to Bruce. The silence dragged out; there were soft thank yous and pleases – but it was uncomfortable. Just like she knew it was going to be. Why Tony thought this was going to be a good idea, she had no idea.

Ru cleared his throat. “Did you remember what you were looking for in the library, Mister Thor?” 

“What?” Thor sounded confused; his haughty demeanor fracturing for a mere second. “Looking for in...” He suddenly realized that everyone was watching him. “It it not your concern.” He turned his attention back to his plate.

“Must not have been Emily Post.” Tony muttered and Pepper almost kicked him. 

“Who is this Emily Post?” The Asgardian interjected. “Is she important?”

The only answer came from Bruce ripping a crab rangoon in half with a loud crack. 

*

Before he settled into his reading chair the next day, Ru picked out a book for Thor to read if he came into the library. Since he knew the man liked adventures and war, he scanned the shelves looking for something the Asgardian might like. He found one called _Gods and Generals_ , about the American Civil War. Ru could remember a little of that; mainly being in Siam when the king made the offer of sending war elephants to help Abraham Lincoln. 

Even Ru had known that was silly; elephants wouldn't like to travel so far on the water. But he knew that the king meant well. It was one of the times that proved that it was the thought that counted.

Just like him selecting this book. Perhaps Thor would merely toss it aside and insult it; but it didn't change the fact that Ru had tried. 

He tucked himself back into his chair and set the book for Thor on the table next to him as he settled back into the adventure of Lucy, Susan, Edmund and Peter in Narnia. “Jarvis?”

“Yes, sir?” The AI replied, “How may I help you?”

“Is there a masculine form of the name Lucy and what does it mean?” He wasn't really expecting a positive response.

“Yes. The name Lucy means light. It is also short for Lucia, which translates into Lucien when used for a male.” The clipped voice stated. “Notable Luciens include Lucien Freud, Lucien Bonaparte, Lucien Laurin, and various fictional vampires.” 

Ru made a face. “Who was Lucien Laurin?” 

“The trainer of Secretariat.” Jarvis replied. “Considered the greatest race horse who ever....”

“I know about Secretariat.” He shifted his shoulders. “I saw him, more than once.” 

“What about this horse made him the greatest?” Thor's voice cut into the conversation. Ru hadn't even known he was in the library. “I doubt he was...”

“He won the Belmont Stakes by thirty-one lengths, Mister Odinson.” Jarvis's voice was perfectly calm; there were times it was maddening to Ru. “A feat that has never been accomplished since his win in nineteen seventy-three.”

“Is that so?” Thor was about to speak again when Ru interjected.

“If you are merely going to extoll the greatness of the horses of Asgard, please keep it to yourself, Mister Thor. I am tired of hearing how much better everything there is.” 

“You know nothing, jotun.” He snapped. “And what did I tell you about reading?” He moved to grab the book away.

He ducked away from the man's grasp, backing up several paces. “You do not tell me what to do!”

Thor took a step towards him. “You shouldn't...”

“Mister Ru, Mister Stark has been alerted of the situation and is on his way.” Jarvis's voice echoed down to them. 

A second later, Thor lunged forward, knocking Ru onto his back and sending the book skittering away. He pinned him to the floor, growling. “I may not have my powers, frost giant, but I'm not a weakling. You _will_ listen...”

The world suddenly shifted for Ru. It was like something snapped inside of him and burst free. It wasn't exactly like making fire freeze, it wasn't exactly like cooling water, it was... indescribable. The feeling flooded through him and he wondered if Thor felt it too; the expression on the Asgardian's face went from annoyed anger to downright shock. Taking advantage of the situation (and ignoring the stabbing pain in his head that seemed to come from nowhere) he shoved with all his might and unseated Thor just as Tony burst into the room, his face draining of color. He rose to his feet, looking down at the still stunned blond man. 

“My name is _Loki_. It is not beast, it is not frost giant, it is not jotun, and it is not _monster_.” 

“Thor, what the fuck happened?” Tony found his voice.

“I do not... this is...” He backed away from Loki, and the looks on their faces worried him.

“What... what's wrong?” He held out his hand and stopped short. 

He stared at his bare arms and hands that were no longer blue; his skin was now the color of cream.


End file.
